When my son was an infant, we purchased him a very fancy peg-perego highchair... talk about a HEADACHE! There were SO many nooks and crannies in that thing that it was a bigger production cleaning the thing than feeding him (and this was when he JUST started cereal!). We got rid of that contraption faster than you can change a babies diaper, and purchased this chair... my life-saver!
First of all, do NOT put your baby into this chair until they can sit up fully unassisted. Since my son started solids at 6 months, he was already sitting up, but was a bit wobbly so I put a few rolled-up towels in the chair to support him. It was a bit difficult feeding him at first, since I couldn't sit directly in front of him, but with some slight leaning, it was very do-able. The harness is a bonus, not because it will keep him from climbing OUT, but it keeps him from sliding DOWN from the chair. If you are looking for something you can put your child in and 1/2 pay attention while doing dishes, do not purchase this chair. Any product without a 5-point harness (in my opinion) requires full attention, and since I always give him my full-attention at meal time (or there is someone else there doing it) its not a problem for me (and just for the sake of it, my son has never tried to climb out, which obviously means he never managed to either). Sometimes food can fall between him and the table, but it just falls onto the towel that I keep underneath his seat, and for the record, a LOT more food would wind up on the floor if he still used a highchair. This is because a highchairs tray is quite short compared to the length of our table, so if he throws something, it usually does not end up on the floor (which means less bending for mom and dad!) And finally, the BEST part of this chair is the fact that it is VERY easy to clean! Just wipe it off with a wet wash-cloth, and occasionally vacuum, and your done! NO nooks OR crannies AT ALL, and I hate to say it, but EVERY highchair has nooks and crannies... although some more than others. It also allows my son to be at the table with me and my husband during dinner, which means he learns our table-manners, and is not pushed off to the side in a highchair. The seat IS portable, but we ourselves do not bring it to restaurants (although it does come with us to other peoples houses), since it is a bit of a pain to fold and unfold. Also, many restaurants do not have four legged tables, but rather a table with one leg in the middle, and that is VERY dangerous to use with this chair, because your babies weight could tip the table over if it becomes un-balanced.
Here are the 3 main reasons I purchased the Caddy Hook-On chair rather than a booster seat that you attach to a regular kitchen chair...
(1) The booster chairs common, plastic, hard seating is not nearly as comfortable as the caddy's fabric, and the seats that DO have fabric are usually very hard to clean
(2) Those seats are NOT one piece like the caddy, and therefore they DO have nooks and crannies where rouge Cheerios or crumbs could climb into (ESPECIALLY the ones that have the un-needed reclining feature, and other adjustments)
(3) It means one less chair at the table, and to me, that is not very convenient
I plan to either purchase another seat for my baby due in July, or re-use the one I have, it is the ONLY way to feed your baby with as little mess as possible!
I bought this chair thinking it would be great for restaurants and so our son could sit at the table with us at home. We have an older wood table from the 20's and the high chair only fit in one spot at the table, otherwise it worked just fine and he seemed comfortable, although maybe a little low at the table.
The flaw in this product is the material used for the seat. I believe chicco makes a similar chair for slightly more $ that has a wipable/padded cover. If you are sold on this product, I highly recommend getting the more expensive product. If your baby spills anything liquid or soft on this chair, you will need to wash it as the food gets trapped in the fabric and can't be wiped clean. I found it very difficult to remove the cover...at least enough so that I didn't want to do it every couple of days.
It is a little awkward for travel as well. If you want something portable, there are a few other travel chairs that fold down very compactly. This is still very long when folded down, and as mentioned in another review the parts that fold down don't stay down.
I bought this so we wouldn't have to set up/tear down our high chair, but this turns out to be about as much work to keep clean.
Buy Chicco Caddy Hook On Chair Now
My daughter hated the highchair because she couldn't sit at the table like her sister. Now, with this chairshe is eating with us! It's super easy to attach and I like that I can throw the fabric in the washer from time to time to clean it.
Read Best Reviews of Chicco Caddy Hook On Chair Here
This chair is very convenient, well made, and much better than other hook-on chairs I have seen. You can set it up securely to almost every table. Its clamp mechanism is very well designed.
The only downsides are:
The restraint system is only 3 point and doesn't tighten very much, so babies that can climb could probably get out easily.
The table hook arms don't stay in a folded position during transport. This is easily solved by putting a baby ring around the arms, but I think the designers could have come up with a more elegant solution.
Still, I recommend this chair. We usually have it hooked to our butcher block in the kitchen so our son can be right there with us while we cook. That in itself is worth the price. With all the baby junk we've bought, this is one of the few things that has really been worth it.
Want Chicco Caddy Hook On Chair Discount?
This high chair is the best. I bought this for my in-laws house to keep there and ended up keeping it with me at all times. It is awesome for the house because the baby feels like they are part of the meal time (important for development). But also because I could bring it to my friends house, restaurant's, and family's house with no problem at all. It is an amazing chair and I will be buying this for all baby showers that I attend in the future!
I got these on sale at the grocery store when my daughter just started self feeding snacks. She only loves the peach flavored ones. These are pefect because they just melt in her mouth, so no worries about choking. They also slightly stick to her fingers so it's real easy for her to put them in her mouth without falling off. These are perfect for starter snacks. I looked online for a cheaper price because the grocery stores would sell these for around $3 or more. I found them here on Amazon for a great price. Then add the subscibe and save for 15% off plus use GERBR434 for an additional 15% off (exp 06/30/11). I got them for $1.84 a piece! We are stocked up!
